I thought I’d share some breakthrough ideas I’ve had recently. I always create with a form of anxiety. It isn’t fun. It's this weird thing I don’t feel like I can complain about, as I am so lucky to have my job, so naturally, I ignore the thoughts and try to pave through… That is not a great way to be living, ahaha.

So, I’ve been very introspective the past month or so. I've been really getting to the bottom of this because it’s becoming too much. I'm not present, not really finding joy in much, and not knowing why.

So, I search and search and see one thing. It’s my workflow. I create for rent, and the cost of living is really high. This industry is being smacked right, left, back, and center. I’m seeing incredible artists having to get part-time jobs to sustain their livelihood. It’s sad to see. BUT, it’s out of our hands. It is important to be stoic with these situations, to remind yourself that the best you can do is the best you can do. As long as you put your heart into it and your lifeboat is crafted out of honesty, passion, and love, you’ll be fine. So instead of creating with capitalism in mind, create with honesty in mind.

The other issue is screen time. For the past 5 years that I have been doing this, my screen time has been 8 hours a day on average. Not great. BUT, at the start, it made sense: hustle, hustle, get your name out there, be hungry, be tenacious, do the stuff that others might not want to do. Show the world you want it hard enough, and it’ll work out. BUT, 5 years on, no, that’s a me problem. I lived through the phone, I'd watch what I did the other day and be like “cool, I did that.” I'm so lost in the sauce because I get anxiety when I don’t post. “Will I not be relevant if I don’t post?” “Will people forget my work and not be able to pay rent?” “Will it seem like I don’t care?”. These questions are all the wrong questions. They should be, “Are you happy?” As long as you’re creating with happiness and love, then who cares what other people think? You’re alive once, be who YOU want to be. If you can’t pay rent with it, screw it, still do it. Figure something out. Just don’t create with the nagging mindset of pondering on what others think. Social media will drag you into that as quickly as a smoker wanting their next ciggy in a beer garden. I quit smoking after 12 years, cold turkey. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t hard. Social media, I can’t kick it. Mainly because I do need it for work, but I don’t need to doom scroll. So, I’ve set 1-hour time limits for all social media. It’s only day 3, but trust me, I don’t even want the 1 hour.

Why has it had such a positive effect? Because I'm here. I'm in my real world. I am present. I am enjoying being bored. If I get too bored, I actually do something worth my time. I’ve been filming again. Luckily, I love filming, I studied film. That passion has been dried up recently due to social media being such a lousy way to create. Vertical videos encourage bad framing, the algorithm rewards quick cuts and dumb lifestyle stuff that some creators just don’t want to do. (But it could be worse, you could not have it at all. 'Cause half of us wouldn’t be tattooing without it, there's no chance most of us would get apprenticeships. So this is a better evil). BUT, now I have all this free time, I can just film for fun again. Like this video, it doesn’t really mean much, but it’s my day off. A DAY OFF. Where I can appreciate where I'm at, and be present in life. I wouldn’t have that if I'm on social media and my phone, as I'm in this weird world of dopamine and external validation.

I don't know what I'm trying to say, I guess I'm trying to say I had a nice day, and I hope you did too.

Also I'd love to hear your opinion on this in the comments here. Id love an open discussion about these things. Just as I can always grow through the learnt knowledge of others. Maybe I am missing a certain angle and can improve in one shape or form. 

Anyway.

God bless (lol),

Aron